THEO 7078 Sex, Marriage, and Celibacy in Early Christianity

A graduate-level survey of early Christian thought and practice on sex, marriage, and celibacy. Beginning with the New Testament, continuing through major figures of the second and third centuries, and focusing on central writers of the fourth and fifth centuries, we will examine the influence of Greco-Roman traditions on early Christianity, as well as the importance of biblical interpretation to the early Christians. Key figures to be studied include the apostle Paul, Origen of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, Ambrose of Milan, Athanasius of Alexandria, Jerome, and Augustine.